Rolls-Royce Ghost
| transmission = 8-speed ZF 8HP90 automatic | wheelbase = | length = | width = | height = | weight = | related = BMW 7 Series (F01) | designer = Ian Cameron Charles Coldham (interior) | sp = uk }} The Rolls-Royce Ghost is a luxury saloon from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. The "Ghost" nameplate, named in honour of the Silver Ghost, a car first produced in 1906, was announced in April 2009 at the Auto Shanghai show. During development, the Ghost was known as the "RR04." Designed as a smaller, "more measured, more realistic car" than the Phantom, aiming for a lower price category for Rolls-Royce models, the retail price is around £170,000 (US$255,000). The production model was officially unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. 200EX concept The original concept car, named the 200EX, was officially unveiled at the March 2009 Geneva Motor Show, indicating the styling direction of the production model Ghost. Unlike the aluminum-bodied Phantom, the 200EX was made from steel, which has a higher tensile strength and can therefore be made thinner. The chassis used an intelligent four corner air suspension system and multi-link aluminium front and rear axles. Systems such as Active Roll Stabilisation, four corner air springs and Variable Damping Control operate as one, imperceptibly, to provide the best possible comfort for occupants. Connected to the main computer, the suspension is able to detect the movement of a single rear passenger from one side of the seat to the other, and compensates accordingly.The Ghost, the best Rolls ever produced Design The Ghost was designed by Ian Cameron and engineered by Helmut Riedl, who led the development of the larger Rolls-Royce Phantom. The Ghost, codenamed RR04 during its design phase, was developed to compete with vehicles significantly less expensive than the Phantom, such as the Bentley Continental Flying Spur. The car is based on a heavily modified platform shared with BMW’s latest 7-Series, F01 platform. The company concedes that 20% of parts are common to both cars. The Ghost has a wheelbase, roof height, bonnet height and track widths all of its own, and the Ghost uses Phantom-style air springs. The car also shares the FlexRay electronic system.Rolls-Royce Builds a Real Car: High-tech BMW underpinnings meet classic English cosseting in the new Ghost. Got $245,000? The Wall Street Journal The car weighs at the curbside. Like other current Rolls-Royce models, the Ghost uses parent company BMW's iDrive user interface; unlike the Phantom series, the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament along with more functions, are controlled using the system.2011 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé -- Car Tour, YouTube.com, July 24, 2011, Accessed August 2, 2011. Engine " on a 2011 Rolls-Royce Ghost.]] The engine is a bored and stroked version of BMW's N74 6.0L twin-turbocharged (twin-scroll) V12, now displacing 6.6 litres, featuring BMW's VANOS variable valve timing, high-precision direct fuel injection, and valvetronic; and generates producing torque, with ZF 8-speed automatic transmission.CONFIRMED: Rolls-Royce RR4 getting 500+HP turbo V12, 8-speed gearbox The engine allows the Ghost to accelerate from 0 to in 4.7 seconds, and has an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h). Manufacturing The Rolls-Royce Ghost is built on its own dedicated production line at the Goodwood plant, sharing paint, wood and leather workshops with the Phantom series.Shanghai 2009: Rolls-Royce ditches RR4 for Ghost nameplate Mansory version In mid-2010 Mansory introduced its own tuning version, named White Ghost Limited. Apart from exterior changes, its engine has , resulting acceleration from 0 to in 4.5 seconds with top speed of . See also * Rolls-Royce 100EX a one-off V16 convertible celebrating RR's 100th birthday * Rolls-Royce 101EX, aka the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé (the production hardtop version of the 100EX) * Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé, also based heavily on the 100EX References External links * Official website Ghost Category:Concept automobiles Category:Full-size vehicles Category:Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Category:Sedans Category:Vehicles of the United Kingdom Category:2010s automobiles